School Visits

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Bookies and Bakeries in Leicester

If I set off from here, on this beautiful, sunny morning and walked the two miles into the city centre, how many bakers do you think I would pass? One or two at the most. What about greengrocers? There are none... there are some supermarkets on Hinckley Road selling fruit and veg but there are no greengrocers. What about Bookmakers? Not publishers, no... Bookies. Go on, have a guess. Give in? There are twelve Bookies between my house and the far end of Belgrave Gate, a distance of two miles. That's six per mile.
In the novel, Gambledad, Antonio's dad loves going to the Bookies and putting money on a horse. My dad used to do that every Saturday but he knew his limits. Unlike my dad, Antonio's dad is addicted to gambling and he eventually loses the family home, leaving his family homeless and penniless. Then he goes missing. Antonio and his best friend, Frankie, try to find Dad and a way out of the mess created because of his gambling addiction.
It's a strange world we live in where there are six Bookies per mile but only one bakery.